XXVIII. Swedenhorg. " There is not any thing

in the mind, to which something in the body does not correspond ; and this which corresponds may be called the embodying of that." T. G. R. page 267.
This is a very important proposition in Swe- denborg's works, and it lias a remarkable parallel in Spinoza ; but to see it, the notion of Spinoza must be stated, that the Qiiind is the idea of a hody existing. This idea is not single, but com- pounded of many ideas. Then follows the 12th prop, part 2, Ethics, namely, " Whatever takes place in the object of the idea constituting the human mind, [i. e. the human body,] must be perceived by the human mind, or, the human mind will necessarily have an idea of it."
Spinoza elsewhere states that man is consti- tuted by modifications of two attributes of God, to wit, thought and extension, i. e. mind and body ; but, because these are, in the absolute na- ture of God, a unity, they must be developed under the same uniform law, and hence their operations or manifestations are simultaneous, or, in a certain sense, the same^ only regarded in two ways, one as thought, the other as body. And by this would be explained the curious problem
302 8WEDENBORO, [Cn. XII.
touching the correspondence between the most abstruse mathematical results, arrived at in the closet, and the motions of tlie physical heavens, or heavenly bodies ; for they are the same essence manifested in two ways, and make but one, as all things make one, in God.
It is not my object to exhibit any thing more than the likeness between the two WTiters ; but at this point, I cannot help suggesting that possi- bly, in the curious proposition above stated, may be found the true ground of Swedenborg's visions into what he calls the spiritual world ; for it may not be impossible that some men may so habitu- ally contemplate the physical things of the world in their essence, i. e. in God, as measurably to cease to regard them in their inferior character as modes or modifications ; and as all things in God are eternal, these modifications may be re- garded as eternal, when thus recognized by the intellect, instead of being regarded simply by the senses as mere appearances. In this way, what- ever is the object of knowledge, even through the senses, becomes, when seen in the intellect, spiritual and eternal ; and hence man, if he can conceive himself thus to see things in their es- sence, may speak of this vision as a vision of the spiritual world. The spirits of departed men, as
Ch. XII.] A HERMETIC PHILOSOPHER. 303
of Plato, Cicero, Luther, Calvin, &c., may be con- sidered as seen in their works, which have come down to US, through which we become acquaint- ed with them, as we do with living men. The spirits of departed men are then seen in their es- sence, i. e. our knowledge of them is thus seen and regarded as eternal. This may be considered as a tolerably legitimate result of Spinoza's doc- trine ; for by prop. 22, 23, 2i of part 1, Ethics, he undertakes to demonstrate the eternity of TTiodes or things, not regarded as things, but as seen in the intellect, and referred to God. It should be recollected that Swedenborg saw, in the spiritual world, whatever is seen on earth, and no small power of ridicule has been expend- ed upon him for alleging, that in the spiritual world there are a sun and earths, with inhabit- ants in cities, having dwellings, with every spe- cies of furniture, &c. ; in short, our own natural system seen in the spirit, i. e. referred to God as the sole cause of both the essence and existence of all things, and thus conceived under the form of eternity, as God is eternal.
" In the spiritual world," says Swedenborg, " or, in
the world where spirits and angels are, similar things
appear as in the natural world, or where men are ; so
similar, that as to external aspect there is no differ-
^encey Heaven and Hell, par. 582.
304: SWEDEN BOKO, [Ch. XII.
And again : " It is not yet known that the Divine Providence, in all progression with man, looks at his eter- nal state ; for it can look at nothing else, because the Divine is infinite and eternal ; and the infinite and eter- nal, or the Divine, is not in time, and hence all future things [and so also all past things] arc present to it. And because the Divine is such, it follows, that in each and every thing which it does is the eternal. Yet they ivho think from time and space, perceive this with difficulty, not only because they love temporal things, but also because they think from the present in the world, and not from the present in heaven ; this is as absent from them as the end of the earth. But they, who are in tlie Divine, do also think from the eternal ivhcnfrom the present, because from the Lord, saying with themselv^es. What is that which is not eternal ? " &c. Angelic Wisdom concerning D. Prov. par. 59.
It would be easy to multiply passages like these from the writings of Swedenborg. They are profusely scattered throughout his works, and if they signify any thing, it must be on the sup- position that the universe is identified in some way with God, ''''not as he is infinite^^ [Sj^inoza] but as he is manifested by the universe, which is to be seen truly only when seen in God ; in which case, " each and every thing" becomes invested with a divine asj^ect, and has the signification of eternity. In the last of tlie above passages, Swe- denborg has warned us that those wlio thinhfrom
Ch. XII.] A HERJklETIC PHILOSOPHER. 305
time and sjpacc can with difficulty perceive this. He may as well have said, at once, that they can- not perceive it at all, and then have added, that, neither can those who think from time and space, judge of the doctrine of either himself or of Spinoza.